Sometimes the word ‘estate’ doesn’t quite cut it, apparently. Not content with introducing us to the concept of a four-door coupé, Mercedes-Benz is insistent about reintroducing the ‘Shooting Brake’ moniker for the five-door variant of its likeable CLS.

It’s amazing how quickly you get used to an idea. Most of us were rather taken aback when Mercedes first launched the CLS, but it slotted swiftly and easily into the range and our understanding. It came across as more dynamic than the E-class on which it is based and almost as classy as (and undoubtedly more individualistic than) an S-class. Unlike its larger sibling (as with Audi’s A6 next to the A8), the CLS doesn’t say that its driver is on his way to an airport departure lounge.

Option in the smaller 18-inch wheels and air suspension to maximise your touring comfort

Quite what the Shooting Brake says is what we’re here to find out. Logic dictates that if you want an executive-sized Mercedes-Benz with ample room in the rear, you’d buy an E-class estate. But logic frequently works in mysterious ways, or not at all, in this sector, and sometimes what a car says about its owner is as important as what it does.